A Second Chance
by Karasu Tenka
Summary: When Whitebeard died at Marineford, the curtains fell on one era, and rose to reveal a new one. That is the story we all know. However, a stranger, determined to change everything, interferes at the last possible moment. Now, the oceans of the world tremble, as the Strongest Pirate is given a Second Chance.
1. Chapter 1

Everything hurt.

His breath was ragged and pain-filled, a distant part of him marveled that he was even able to breathe anymore. He could feel the salt winds blowing across the burned hole in the side of his head, his innards still burned from where that magma brat had gotten a lucky shot in. He had been shot, and stabbed more times than any man should have survived, and kept fighting. But the wound that hurt worst of all, was the stab wound in his chest, where his beloved son, blinded by anger and tricked by his foe had driven his blade through.

Gazing down through blood hazed, tired eyes, he viewed the man who had once called him Father, and who now desperately howled for his death. The gun in the youngster's hands clicked uselessly, it's ammunition spent. The traitor and his cohorts murmured among themselves, sure of their victory.

"It's not you..."

Everyone flinched as his voice rumbled forth, his breath labored and growing weaker by the second. "Y-you're still alive?!"

"The man that Roger is waiting for... at the very least, Teach... it's definitely not you." A flash of confusion echoed across Teach's face. Looking down, to the red bead, so tiny in his massive hand, he continued. "Just as there are those who carry on Roger's will. I'm sure that someone will appear to carry on Ace's will someday. Even if you extinguish his bloodline, there's no way that you could ever snuff out their flame. It has been passed down since ancient times... and someday, someone will appear, carrying the history of all of those decades on his back, and challenge the whole world."

With a massive effort and will, he shifted his gaze up, past his treacherous former son to his old foe, "Sengoku... You and your World Government fear that immense battle engulfing the whole world that will inevitably come." He took another labored breath, _May as well give the bastard something to think about before I go..._ He thought with an inner smirk. "I don't particularly care myself. But as soon as someone finds that great treasure..." He saw the Admiral flinch as though someone had physically punched him, "The whole world will get turned upside-down." Sengoku had turned pale, "And someone will find it. Sooner or later."

He allowed himself one final taunting grin, as his old foe watched helplessly as he undid all of his Government's propaganda with what they both knew were his dying words. _And now, this ends._ With a final, struggling, pain-filled heave of breath, he let loose one final bellow that echoed across all of Marineford, destroying over twenty years of government coverup attempts with one single sentence. "ONE PIECE... DOSE EXIST!"

Faintly he heard Sengoku curse him, but he no longer cared. He had lived a full, long life, full of adventure and excitement. In his final moments, he only had one, final regret. Somehow, as the rest of the world faded around him, and as his long life flashed beautifully before his eyes, the small red bead in his hand burned like the fires of the young man who once wore it. _I'm sorry... Ace..._ He thought sadly as the last vestiges of his consciousness began to fade. _I failed you at the end... I couldn't kill the bastards who killed you... I'm sorry..._

Outside of his darkening mind, Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate, the strongest Pirate in the world, died.

It was an odd sensation to die. The pain he had felt from his hundreds of wounds was suddenly gone. He seemed to watch, as though detatched from the rest of the world. _So... I guess I'm a spirit now eh?_ He thought to himself with a chuckle, _Make's sense. At least this way, I may be able to apologize properly to Ace._

"Not yet, Shirohige-san." A voice echoed around him. "You need to watch what comes next."

Whitebeard whirled around, looking all around himself for the source of the voice. "It isn't smart to try and sneak up on me." He said with a growl, marveling quietly at how his voice seemed to echo as well. "I've already had a bad enough day, I'd prefer to pass on in peace."

A man seemed to step out of thin air before the massive pirate. "My apologies for startling you, Edward Newgate. My name is Chairon Chronos," He was dressed in a blue suit and a long grey overcoat. "And forgive my presumptuousness, but you should watch what is about to happen."

Looking around himself, Whitebeard saw the battlefield of Marineford. His sons fled, trying desperately to fufill his final orders to survive. The Marines were slowly beginning to rally once again, Probably because I'm dead... And there, at his corpse, which still stood he noted with a small smirk of pride, were gathered the 'Blackbeard Pirates'.

"Teach... What is that treacherous little bastard up to now?"

"Nothing good I'm afraid." Chronos appeared beside him as Teach's crew produced a massive black tarp and draped it over Whitebeard's body like a tent, and the man himself pushed his way inside.

"Eh?" Suddenly a pain unlike anything Whitebeard had ever felt before ripped it's way through his chest, forcing his spirit to it's knees. "W-what... what is that bastard...?" Just as swiftly as it had arrived, the pain vanished, but with it's passing, there was also a strange...emptiness. "W-what the hell...just...happened...?" He demanded, glaring at the strange man beside him.

"Watch." Was the man's only reply, nodding towards the black tarp. Blackbeard was just reemerging, laughing loudly.

"Zeahahaha! Now Navy!" Blackbeard roared, "Let me show you my power! From here on out, we are once again enemies!" Raising his right hand, a massive vortex of shadow erupted around him, " **BLACK HOLE!** " Slamming his hand down onto the ground, the darkness spread around him, dragging dozens of marines into it as though it were quicksand. "This is the power of the Yami-Yami no Mi." He gloated, "And in this hand..." He raised his left arm, taking a very familiar stance.

Whitebeard felt his eyes widen in shock and horror. "That's...!"

"ZEAHA!" Blackbeard smashed his left fist forward, shattering the air in front of him and sending an extremely powerful shockwave across the battlefield, demolishing the already heavily damaged Navy Headquarters further. "The Power of Darkness that reduces all else to nothingness in my right hand..." Teach's eyes were wild, drunk with the euphoria of the power in his veins, "And the Power that destroys everything in my left hand... I've done it! NOW NOBODY CAN MATCH ME! ZEAHAHAHAHA!"

"Teach!" Whitebeard roared in fury, his eyes still unwilling to believe what he was witnessing.

"Calm yourself, Edward Newgate-san." Chronos's hand came to rest gently on the kneeling spirit's shoulder.

"YOU!" Whitebeard's hand closed around the smaller man's throat. "You had something to do with this!"

Oddly, Chronos's expression remained passive, despite the giant before him preparing to snap his neck. "Wrong." He said, his eyes never leaving the sight of Blackbeard roaring with delight. "But I showed you this, because you needed to see."

"WHY?" Whitebeard felt grief beginning to well up within him, mingling with his rage. "Why show me this?! That treacherous shit is going to kill my sons! With my own power!"

"No. Most of your 'Family' will survive this day. But their future without their Father is a dark one indeed." Chronos finally turned his gaze on Whitebeard, "I showed you this, because you are not yet actually dead."

"Wha-?" Whitebeard felt his eyes widen in surprise.

"Your body is dead. That is true." The suited man continued, calmly peeling Whitebeard's hand from it's hold on him, "But I have pulled your mind from the proper passage of time."

"How...?"

"Many years from now... I, as a young man will eat a devil fruit. One that in all honesty should not exist... One that the World Government insisted was nothing more than a myth. The Jikan-Jikan no Mi." Whitebeard's eyes widened once again in shock, he had heard legends of that fruit, but had never once actually believed them to be true. "I am Chairon Chronos. I am the Time Man."

Slowly, Whitebeard rose back to his full height, gazing down at a man that he knew shouldn't exist. "So... What does one of the most legendarily powerful devil fruit wielder's in the history of the world want with a dead man...?"

Chronos turned back to gaze at Blackbeard, silent. The silence stretched out, for what felt like an eternity, and for all Whitebeard knew, may well have been. At long last, the man answered. "I want to change the future."

Whitebeard blinked for a moment. "Exscuse me?"

"I want to change the course of history." He repeated, "I wish to eliminate the darkness and pain that is come. Blackbeard's rampage that began here, at Marineford, will last for years. So many lives will be lost needlessly... So many islands completely annihilated by the powers of the Gura-Gura no Mi. My family..." Whitebeard glimpsed briefly a fire of hatred flare within the man's eyes, before they once again calmed.

"But, if you change history... wouldn't you...?"

"I would cease to be. Yes. I am the product of the Dark Era of Piracy, ushered in by Marshal D. 'Blackbeard' Teach. And if that era were to never exist, I would never exist. But..." He took a deep breath, as though preparing himself mentally for what was to come, "I am willing to pay that price to see that monster dead long before he could do any real damage." He turned to Whitebeard once more, "However, I cannot do it myself. Even with my Devil Fruit... I am not powerful enough. Not in the ways that would be effective. So I need you."

"Me?" Whitebeard chuckled lightly. "What can I do? I'm literally a dead man walking."

"You'll see." Chronos said with an odd smile. "But I want your promise. You will _kill_ Marshal D. Teach."

"Gurararara..." He laughed coldly. "I had been planning on it. Just wasn't able too..."

"I know." Again Chronos smiled oddly. "But this time, you will." Stepping forward, he placed a hand on Whitebeard's bare chest. There was an odd flash, but nothing seemed to happen. "There." He said, "That should help." Whitebeard looked at him oddly, "Now then. It has been a short meeting... But I was honored to meet you Edward Newgate-sama."

Chronos stepped back, raising his hands. "I hope that the future you build now will be brighter than my past." Suddenly the face of a massive, glowing clock appeared beneath Whitebeard, "Good luck..."

The area was engulfed in a blinding flash of light, bright enough that Whitebeard was forced to throw up his arm to shield his eyes.

"Remember..." Chronos's voice echoed faintly, "This is the only chance we both have..."

* * *

Whitebeard's eyes snapped open. Gazing around, he stood on the prow of the Moby Dick, the sun shone brightly, gulls flapped through the sky, and all around him, the air was so thick with tension that it could be cut with a knife.

Looking forward, he felt his eyes widen in shock. _Ace..._ His gaze trailed over ten thousand marines gathered at the Marineford bay.

 _"This time..."_ The words of Chronos echoed through his mind again as realization slowly began to dawn.

Edward Newgate's lips spread into the widest, most singularly predatory grin he had ever smiled, and a laugh unlike any he had laughed in _decades_ rumbled through his mighty frame like thunder. He had been given a gift unlike any ever given, he would not waste it. "GURARARARARARA! Yo, Sengoku... How long has it been?" He locked eyes with his old foe across the distance, "I trust that my beloved son is doing well?"

* * *

Ok, so holy shit it has been a long time since I have written anything. I am so sorry my friends. I started school a few months back, and life just kinda went crazy.

Anyways, this is (hopefully) the start of my big comeback... I hope to have a new chapter for the Hollow King up sometime in July as well, so I am so sorry for the wait on that my many friends.


	2. Chapter 2

"I trust my beloved Son is safe and sound?" Whitebeard grinned widely as he glared up at the execution platform of Marineford. _That Mugiwara brat only got here in time because of that first tsunami._ He thought, remembering what he perceived as the past, but that hadn't yet occurred. _May as well open with that again now._

Stabbing his bisento into the deck of the Moby Dick, he leaned forward, crossing his arms over his chest. Even across the distance between himself and Sengoku, he could see the old Fleet Admiral flinch in expectation of what was to come. _And I would hate to disappoint._ He thought to himself with a predatory grin, loosing the power of his Gura-Gura no Mi off to both sides. _Here's my greeting, Navy bastards._

The massive seaquake rocked the world around them, but otherwise seemingly did nothing, much to the confusion of many of the thousands of gathered Marines.

Retrieving his bisento, he stood up once more. "Oi, Chronos." He spoke low enough that none of his sons gathered behind him could hear him, "I know you're still there, the Future hasn't changed just yet."

Even as the words left his mouth, he noticed the flags flapping in the wind freeze in place, the whole world stopping as though it were a photograph. "You shouldn't make those sorts of assumptions, Whitebeard-san." Chairon Chronos materialized again out of thin air beside the pirate captain. He seemed pale, and his breathing was shallow, as though he had been injured, and a sheen of cold sweat could be seen on his brow. "Just you _knowing_ the future changes it."

"And yet, here you stand."

"Indeed..." Chronos took a deep breath, "For as long as I am able, I will witness how the world changes, before reality erases me."

"Gurararara..." Whitebeard chuckled heartily. "You're a stubborn bastard, but are you really fine with just _watching_?"

The Time-man was silent for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Your power. I could use a crewmate like you." Whitebeard turned to the smaller man and kneeled down, "You said that you lost your family to Teach... You've seen my past I take it. You know that family is the only thing that I treasure in this world."

"Are... are you asking me to join your pirate crew?" Chronos seemed utterly shocked by the concept.

"Of course." Whitebeard rose once more. "You gave me this chance. You have returned my family to me... I don't hold the power to return yours, but the least that I can do is offer you a place to call home once again."

Chronos seemed as though he had been kicked in the gut. His eyes were wide and tears were beginning to form. "I..."

"Before you do answer," Whitebeard looked back to the execution platform, "It occurs to me, that I may seem... opportunistic. Asking you now of all times. It isn't fair to you. You would be joining this family at the worst moment in our history, and I would not be able to really introduce you to your new brothers and sisters... But... if my death taught me anything, it's that I need all of the help that I can get." He looked back to Chronos, "I think your abilities may truly be able to turn the tide in this battle."

Chronos turned and cast his gaze across the bay to Ace, wiping his eyes. "I... I honestly never thought that I would find myself in a family again... My abilities are indeed powerful. But not in a way that could save Ace right now. I cannot break his seasone chains, nor would I be able to kill Sengoku. In fact, all of my offensive power is already used up."

"Oh? How so?"

The suited man smirked viciously. "A little present for Blackbeard when you meet him."

Whitebeard let loose a bellowing laugh. "Gurarararara... Excellent. I can't wait to see what it is."

"With that said..." Chronos once again lowered his gaze, "With me, unable to actually fight. Are you sure that you still want my hel-"

His words were interupted by an enormous hand landing with surprising gentleness on his shoulder. Looking up, Chronos saw Whitebeard's eyes sparkling with joy as he looked over his sons gathered upon the deck of the Moby Dick. "I've lived a long life Chronos." He said with a smile. "I've fought, and I've laughed, and drank. But the only thing that got me through the long years... it wasn't some dream, or some conquest, or a need for some treasure or anything. It was them." He nodded down towards the Whitebeard pirates, "My family is my treasure and my reason for living. And you returned them to me. You gave me a chance to redeem myself and not fail them. In my eyes, Chronos, you're already a son to me, but I won't call you such unless you want."

Tears fell from Chronos's eyes again. "I'm indebted to you... Oyaji." He nodded, smiling brightly. "I'm in. What do you need me to do?"

Whitebeard grinned widely, a plan already forming in his mind. "Nothing yet." He took up the same stance he had held when Chronos had appeared, "We'll let things play out as close to what they were as possible for a little while, so save your strength. Right now, I'm planning to use your ability to apparently move between seconds thing to deliver a message when the moment's right."

"Sound's like a plan. Well then, Oyaji, give 'em hell." Chronos turned to leave.

"One more thing, Chronos." The Time-man paused, looking back up at Whitebeard. "When this is over, I have one final condition for you joining my family." Chronos raised an eyebrow in question, "I want you to tell me about your old family. I want to know about the man who single-handedly saved my life and changed the course of history."

Chronos's laughter echoed all around, as time once again began to flow around Whitebeard. "Sure thing Oyaji. Just be sure to have some good saki ready for the tale."

Whitebeard grinned widely as he stood waiting once more for the return of his tsunami. "Well then..." He said to himself with a low chuckle, "Let's get to work."

* * *

Marco blinked, for a moment it looked like there had been a person beside Oyaji. "Wha-?" Then, just as quickly as the figure had appeared, it was gone. _Did anyone else see that...?_ He wondered, looking around briefly, however none of the other Commanders seemed to have noticed. "Huh... Must be stress." He muttered quietly to himself.

The others were all shouting jeers and taunts at the hundred thousand marines gathered across from them. _Well, I may as well join in._ "Don't worry Ace." He called out, his voice echoing across the bay. "We'll have you free in no time, yoi."

Even from all the way across the bay, Marco could see the emotions warring on Ace's face. Clearly the young man had been resigned to die, for whatever stupid reason he had cooked up in his head. But on the other hand, the fact that the entire crew, as well as all forty seven of the Old Man's allied crews were here and ready to go to war for his sake... _I can see why the kid's a bit choked up._ Marco thought with a grin.

"Oye, Marco." Oyaji's voice suddenly pulled the First Division to the prow.

"Yeah pops?" He hopped up to stand beside his father.

"Something just occurred to me while I was listening to everyone's words to Ace." Whitebeard pulled out a den-den mushi from one of his pockets. Speaking into it, he sent out a call, "Squard..."

"Yeah Oyaji?" Maelstrom Spider Squard's voice sounded over the little snail.

"Thinking about how our enemies are going to come at us, I just realized something. There's something that I want you to know before this war kicks off."

The snail's face seemed confused. "What is it Oyaji?"

"Ace's father... his birth father. The Marine's are probably going to use that against you." Whitebeard saw a frown flash across the snail. "Ace is the son of Gold Roger."

Squard was silent for several moments, his expression mirrored on the snail completely unreadable. "Why...?" He finally said quietly. "Why did you never tell me before?"

Whitebeard let out a small breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Because, you hate Roger. I know that. But Ace isn't his father. He does not deserve to bear the hate and scorn for Roger's sins." He looked up once more towards where Ace knelt, "I'm sorry Squard. If you want to be angry with me for this, once we're done here, I'll happily take all of your anger."

There was a heavy sigh from the den-den mushi. "I... I'm in this to the end, Oyaji." Squard said after a few moments. "Once we're done, I'll figure out if I need to get angry."

Whitebeard grinned. "Thank you, Squard. Remember, the Navy knows about your hatred for Roger, and they will probably use that to try and turn you against me."

"Tch." Squard laughed cruelly, "Let them try."

The world began to rumble again, looking up Whitebeard's face split into a wide grin. "Then let's get to work." With that, he cut the connection with Squard.

The seaquake that he had sent out several minutes earlier was returning with a vengeance. An enormous Tsunami roared towards Marineford, easily large enough to obliterate the island in an instant.

As the roaring waves crashed towards the bay, a single figure leapt upwards from in front of the execution platform. " **ICE AGE!** " The figure bellowed as ice erupted from their hands towards the tsunami, freezing it completely solid almost instantly.

"Gurarara... Aokiji." Whitebeard's gaze tracked up to lock on the marine admiral. "What a scamp."

The admiral wasted no time, gesturing towards Whitebeard and hurling several spears of ice at him, " **Partisan!** " He shouted.

Whitebeard retaliated quickly, sending a powerful quake through the air, shattering the spears, and even reaching the admiral, cracking his body and knocking him towards the water.

Within seconds, the bay was frozen solid.

* * *

The battle had been raging for a solid twenty minutes. Well then, time to see if it's time. Whitebeard thought to himself with a grin. He stood alone, still on the prow of the Moby Dick, "Chronos."

"About time you called me." The Time-Man laughed lightly, time once more freezing as he appeared. "I was starting to worry that you'd forgotten about me."

"Me? Forget my newest son? Gurararara... I may be old, but I'm not senile just yet."

"Fair enough. So, you said I'd be sending a message?"

"Mmm." Whitebeard nodded, "Inside the Moby Dick, there's a few Den-Den Mushis. I need you to deliver them to a few people."

"Oh?" Chronos tilted his head curiously, "Who?"

Turning to look to the south, Whitebeard grinned. "Before the battle started, my scouts told me that there were a few pirate ships moored a few miles that way." He pointed off into the distance, "If the Jolly Rogers they were flying were anything to go off of, I have a suspicion that I know who they are. And I want you to give the captains of each ship one of the Den-Den Mushis."

Chronos was silent for a few moments, thinking silently to himself. "No problem," He finally said, "Just give it two minutes in real time."

Whitebeard turned back towards the battle. "Good to hear."

* * *

Several miles south of Marineford, eight ships sat, several hundred feet away from each other, their captains having reached a truce for the brief moment in time to watch the war of the Era unfold.

"Oh man..." One figure said as they watched the war through a spyglass. "This is incredible! Captain, just look at all those big names!"

"Tch." Eustass 'Captain' Kidd spat to the side, "Half of 'em are old as fuck and don't know how to fight anymore." He stomped to the prow of the ship and glared across the distance, "COME ON!" He shouted at the embattled pirates and marines, as though they could hear him somehow, "I came here to see a _BATTLE_! Not a bunch of old fucks trying to slap each other!"

Across the way, Basil Hawkins 'The Magician' sneered at the loud, brash man shouting. _The fool is beginning to annoy me._ Turning back towards the battle, he frowned. _Still... something is wrong. My predictions of this battle have all gone wrong... As though something is actively interfering with fate..._

Across the other ships, the various captains all stood watching, their own thoughts fully on the battle unfolding before them.

Aboard the oddest of the gathered ships, a bright yellow submarine, an anthropomorphic polar bear suddenly stiffened, the hair on the back of his neck rising. "Captain," He growled dangerously, "Someone's here!"

Trafalgar Law immediately thrust his hand forward, trusting the young Bepo's senses implicitly. " **Room!** " The area around the ship took on a blueish tinge and his Devil Fruit ability activated, and yet, he felt nothing. "You're sure Bepo?" He raised an eyebrow at his furred friend curiously.

"Someone was just here." The conviction in the bear's eyes was enough to convince his captain. "Right... here...?" The two both suddenly noticed the small Den-Den Mushi sitting right where Bepo pointed. "What the...?"

As he picked the snail up, it began to ring, as did seven identical snails on the other ships nearby. Law stepped over, taking the snail from his friend and cautiously answered.

Several voices were fighting for a chance to be heard, all of them demanding to know what was happening. Law could hear the brash and arrogant Eustass Kidd, as well as a woman. Then a voice cut across the line, powerful and forceful enough to silence everyone else. "Enjoying the show, brats?"

Law felt a chill run down his spine as he recognized the voice. "Whitebeard..." He whispered.

"Gurarararara. Glad that I don't need to introduce myself." The air had suddenly become so tense that Law worried some of his crew would faint just from the tension. "I'll bet you all are curious why I've arranged this little chat. Especially while I'm in the middle of a war." Nobody dared to interrupt him, even across a Den-Den mushi line. "Well, I'm going to offer you brats a chance of a lifetime. See, I know you kids have made some pretty big noise over here in 'Paradise', but in the New World, none of you warrant much in the way of attention. That's not a comment on your abilities, mind you. It's just a simple fact. You all seem like ambitious sorts, so I'm going to offer you a chance to make an impression on the Pirates of the New World."

Law was certain he heard someone gulp. "Now, my spies tell me that the Navy has some kind of reserve force, that's going to show up here in a little while. If they do, my allies will be caught in a dangerous flank, with a pretty low chance of survival. Of course, I plan to do what I can to help them, but my focus is on the hundred thousand marines in front of me, as well as those obnoxious Shichibukai brats. So, how would you kids like to be known as the 'heroes' in that fight?"

The stoic voice of 'Red Flag' Drake sounded across the line then, "You're asking _us_ for help...?"

"Gurarararara." Whitebeard chuckled, "Not exactly. If you kids choose not to show up, then that's your choice. This war is my fight, and nobody's dragging you into it. That being said... There are worse ways to introduce yourselves to some of the biggest names in the New World than by earning their grattitude for their lives." The snail smirked, "Think about it. If the Marine reinforcements do show up, then I'll hope you all agree. If you don't, then I hope that you enjoy the show." With that, the line went dead.

* * *

 **Here's chapter 2 of Whitebeard's "comeback tour" if you will. I feel like I'm setting up more than I can actually keep up with... One Piece has _way_ too many great characters, and I keep thinking "Oh he/she would be awesome to add in!" I mean come on... now I'm adding in the freaking _Supernovas?_ *sigh* Ok, here we go.**

 **I'll admit, I had been actually planning on not having Chronos come back again, just saying "Yep, he's gone cause the future is different." But he was fun enough to write and he was apparently popular enough with you guys that I decided to keep him around for a while. (Also, he's useful :P)**

 **Anyways, let me know what you guys think, Cheers. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Whitebeard stood on the prow of the Moby Dick, thinking quietly as the battle continued to progress. _So far, not much has changed..._ He thought to himself. Marco was currently fighting with Kizaru, and that Hawk eyed brat had tried to attack him only to be blocked by Jozu.

 _And now Jozu..._ He glanced over in time to see his Fourth Division commander rip a chunk of Ice, almost the size of a ship, out of the frozen bay.

"Try blocking **THIS**!" Jozu shouted as he hurled the ice over himself, towards the execution platform.

 _Unfortunately..._ Whitebeard's eyes shifted to the lone figure that stood now, glaring down the inbound attack. _That little brat is there..._ Akainu, the Magma man, final of the three Admirals of the Marines, and arguably the strongest of them all, stepped forward and annihilated the giant ice block with a massive blast of lava. Destruction rained down on the bay from the resulting explosion, scattering marine and pirate alike.

One of the globs of magma was falling directly towards Whitebeard, however this was still within the realm of his memories. With a grunt, he stabbed his Bissento up, stopping the meteor in it's tracks, and leaving him with a large torch. "Tch," he said with a smirk, "These attacks of yours are still too flashy, Magma Brat." Inhaling deeply, he blew on the flaming rock, extinguishing the flames. "Why don't you go light some birthday candles instead?" He called out jeeringly, "Much better use of your time."

Across the distance he saw the admiral's mouth split into a smirk. "What's the matter Whitebeard?" Akainu replied, "You don't want a flashy funeral?"

"Gurarararara." Whitebeard chuckled lightly, his mind already moving forward through his memories. Pulling out a Den-Den mushi, he called up one of his allies. "Oye, put Oars on the line."

A moment later, the giant's voice sounded through the small snail, "I was just about to go save Ace-kun."

"I know Oars," His mind played through the giant's death several times, "But I need you to do something else for me. It'll help us save Ace that much faster."

There was a long weighted pause. For a moment, Whitebeard thought Oars had left anyways. "You're sure oyaji?" Finally the response came through.

Whitebeard let out a small breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Yes Oars, I'm sure. I need you alive, and the amount of fire you'll draw from just charging in is more than even you'd be able to live through." He glanced over his shoulder at the bay's entrance, "Now, here's what I want you to do..."

* * *

Chairon Chronos smiled to himself even as he winced in horrific pain. It was taking almost everything he could muster to keep himself anchored in this current timeline, but he refused to give up. Not while he had a family that was, whether they knew it or not, counting on him. And especially not while the Old Man still had use for him.

He smiled at the thought. He had a family again. This was a feeling that he had spent so long without, that he had forgotten what a beautiful feeling it was.

Suddenly, he felt something in the timeline shift. _The Old Man's done something else new._ He thought, looking around the bay from his vantage point atop the Moby Dick's crows nest. _Ah. There it is._ He smiled, watching a giant among giants stomp his way towards a group of Navy battleships. _He's going to try and keep Oars Jr alive._

* * *

"Look at that fucker!" Eaustus 'Captain' Kidd exclaimed as he watched the war from the deck of an unfamiliar ship. "How the fuck is old man Whitebeard afraid of losing when he's got a monster like _that_ on his side."

"You really think that Whitebeard's the only one with monsters on his side?" Asked a pink haired woman from behind Kidd. "If the Navy didn't have at least four things that could break that giant with ease, then they would have gone extinct decades ago."

Kidd turned back to look at the woman who was talking back to him, "You've got some nerve running your mouth off like that at me bitch." He said, setting his hand on the hilt of his dagger.

Jewelry Bonny glared at the foul-mouthed man, "Oh? Big man thinks he can take me on?" She sneered, slowly dropping down into a combat-ready stance. "Well then 'Captain' Kidd. Let's see what you've got."

"Enough." A voice from behind them brought them both up short. Basil Hawkins, 'The Magician' fixed them both with an impassive stare, "You are each guests on my ship. You will abide by that, and not draw blood while here." From behind Hawkins, several other Pirate captains watched the argument with mixtures of amusement and annoyance. "We are all gathered to discuss Whitebeard's offer. Nothing else. If the two of you absolutely must kill each other, then please wait until _after_ the era defining war."

"Tch." Kidd lowered his hand, turning back to watch the battle through his spyglass once more. Bonny glowered at him for a few moments before making her way back to the large table that had been set up for the gathered captains to sit at.

"On that note," 'Mad Monk' Urouge glanced across the gathered faces, "What do we think?"

"Why should any of us care what the others think?" Asked Capone 'Gang' Bege, "Our only relation with each other is that the tabloids have all decided to call us 'Super Rookies' because of our bounties. Personally I don't really care about any of you. I'm just here to watch the fireworks."

"And yet you accepted the Magician's invitation to attend this little get together?" The 'Surgeon of Death' Trafalger Law asked with a smirk.

"Simple manners." Bege dismissed with a wave of his hands.

"'Gang' brings up another reason for this meeting." Hawkins nodded slightly, drawing confused glances from them all. "None of us are allies, in fact, there is clear and obvious animosity between us all. However, if some of us choose to aid the Whitebeard pirate alliance, we would be leaving our backs exposed to those of us who choose not to."

The others glanced around suspiciously. "So, what do you recommend?" Asked 'Red Flag' X-Drake.

"Well that's obvious isn't it?" Scratchman Apoo chuckled. "He wants promises that we won't shoot him in the back."

"No." Law spoke up from where he lounged, turning his gaze towards Marineford, "There's more too it than just that, isn't there 'Magician'? You could have gotten those promises out of us over the Den-Den Mushi."

Hawkins nodded, a small smile creeping onto his lips. "My readings of the future have all gone wrong since the beginning of this war. History is being rewritten this day, in more ways than one. And so, I believe that the best way to deal with this change is to change along with it." He looks around him at the seven other captains, even Kidd had made his way over to the table. "I propose that we enter this new era on a unified front. I propose an alliance between the eight of us."

Silence descended over the table. Everyone present simply stared at Hawkins as if he had grown a second head. Finally, it was Urouge who broke the silence, bursting out into a roaring laugh. "BAHAHAHAHA! You really are a weird one, Basil Hawkins." He locked eyes with the blonde pirate, still grinning widely, "What the hell makes you think that any of us would accept that offer?"

"Because some of us aren't stupid." Urouge looked over towards Law, who now stood up. "If this war is going to teach us anything it's that what awaits us in the New World is nothing like what we've faced up until now. I mean come on. _Look at that thing!_ " He gestured out to the entrance of the Bay, where Oars Jr had managed to pick up one of the battleships that had been shooting at him, and was now using it as a baseball bat to shatter another ship. "Do any of you think that you can take that on your own?" He looked around the table, no one spoke up. "That's just _one_ of Whitebeard's allies. And Whitebeard is only _one_ of the powers that run that sea. If any of us want to stand a chance over there, then we need to be smart about it."

"Much as I hate to admit it..." Apoo sighed, shrugging with a resigned look on his face, "The doc makes a valid point." He looked over the gathered captains, "So then, for the sake of argument, let's say that everyone accepts. How would this 'alliance' of yours work Hawkins?"

Hawkins steepled his fingers before his face, "For the start, a simple cease fire between us will work. An accord made between the eight captains present, that no pirate under their command will strike against another crew protected by the alliance without due consideration by all captains involved. Once we enter the New World and begin gaining in strength, the accords of the alliance will no doubt begin to change and evolve with time."

The seven other captains glanced between each other, clearly gauging who would possibly do what.

After several moments, a voice spoke. "Eh, hell, why not. I'm in." Everyone blinked in shock as Capone Bege stood up, "If nothing else, this will let me keep an eye on my primary competition." He said with a vicious grin.

"Not a chance in hell I'm loosing to some shitty mafioso." Kidd said, stepping up to the table with a sneer at Bege. "I'm in."

"As am I." Said X Drake.

One by one, each captain steadily stood up, and each agreed to join the alliance.

"Good." Hawkins nodded. As he did, a strange chill ran down his spine. _This accord is a powerful force on the strands of fate..._ He thought, turning to look back towards the bay. "Then shall we decide how we plan to deal with Whitebeard's offer?"

Suddenly, one of Kidd's crew members let out a surprised cry. "Holy shit! Boss! You've gotta come see this!"

* * *

The Marine's battle lines were in disarray. By setting Oars Jr on the encircling fleet, Whitebeard knew that their original strategy had been derailed. Now he had to only wait for the final few pieces of the war to fall into place.

 _Speaking of which..._ He thought with a small chuckle, _The first one should be making his appearance right about...now._ He looked up, grinning.

As he did, the rest of the bay seemed to go silent as one of the strangest sights that anyone had ever seen greeted them. There was a ship falling out of the sky.

A Navy battleship toppled down towards the frozen bay, spinning and flipping through the air, it's occupants all shrieking and flailing as they were thrown into open air by the fall. Miraculously, the ship and crew somehow landed in the hole that Jozu had created earlier when he had ripped the ice chunk out to throw at the admirals.

A few moments later, a single voice ripped it's way across Marineford. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" A young man in a yellow vest screamed as he climbed up onto the top of the wreckage, several other figures appearing behind him. "I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU! WE ALL ARE!"

Whitebeard glanced up towards the Execution Platform, catching sight of Sengoku cursing something at Monkey D. Garp. Ace was transfixed in horror at the sight of his little brother appearing on the battlefield, even Garp seemed to be having a conniption fit. "Gurararara..." He chuckled, "If nothing else, the kid knows how to make an entrance."

Several seconds later, there was a sudden rustling sound. "Long time no see, Whitebeard." A voice growled behind him, as the former Shichibukai Crocodile materialized out of thin air, his claw hand raised to strike.

"You really never learn do you brat...?" Whitebeard grumbled quietly, as a streaking, human shaped missile smashed into the Sand man's hook hand.

Monkey D. Luffy planted himself between Crocodile and Whitebeard. Soaking wet, the young man seemed to give off steam, and his body seemed to almost glow. The two exchanged words angrily, however Whitebeard tuned them out, not even bothering to look down at them. His eyes traveled up to lock with those of Vice Admiral Garp 'The Fist', the old Marine was glaring down at the boy as if preparing to give him the worst scolding that the world had ever seen. Whitebeard smirked, an action which didn't go unnoticed by the legendary Marine officer.

Finally, Whitebeard turned to Luffy. "So, you're Shanks's 'Wager' eh?"

"Eh? You know Shanks old man?" The boy looked up at him, "What do you mean be 'wager'?"

"Nothing." Whitebeard smirked. "You're here to save Ace yeah?"

"Of course!"

 _May as well play this bit out._ "Do you have any idea what you're up against here brat?" He smashed the butt of his bisento into the deck of the Moby Dick and put on his very best 'angry pirate' face. "Someone like you doesn't stand a chance here!"

For the briefest of moments, it seemed like the boy was shocked, or possibly reconsidering his actions. Then he glared up at the strongest pirate in the world, and shouted, "SHUT UP! That's not for you to decide!"

Even though he knew it was coming, Whitebeard still felt his face twitch in annoyance, but the boy wasn't finished. "I know perfectly well! You want to be Pirate King don't you?"

 _Here it comes._ Whitebeard thought with a small sense of excitement.

"THE ONE WHO WILL BE PIRATE KING IS GONNA BE ME!" Luffy bellowed, loud enough that it echoed across the entirety of Marineford, shocking and terrifying Marine and Pirate alike with his audacity.

 _This kid really is something..._ Whitebeard thought, as he lifted his bisento and began to spin it through the air, creating a small whirlwind, before smashing the butt of the pole-arm back down. A small extension of his will caused the action to emit a small but powerful tremor, more than enough to knock several marines and pirates off balance down in the bay. All the while, the two glared angrily at each other, both seemingly trying to force the other to submit with just their glare. Finally, Whitebeard's glare twisted into a wide grin. "You're a damn cheeky brat." He turned back towards the battle, "Listen boy, if you get in my way, I won't hesitate to cut you down."

"I'm doing what I want to do!" Luffy snarled, stomping around to square himself with the bay as well. "I'm saving Ace on my own!"

 _And so..._ Whitebeard thought, as Luffy began passing along the message of the Marines moving up Ace's execution time. _All that's left is for you to play your little 'robot army' trick, Sengoku. Then we'll see some new fireworks._

Whitebeard grinned widely. Now it was time for this great war to take a different direction.

* * *

Finally updated again! *cheers erupt from imaginary bleachers*

But all kidding aside, I once again owe my readers an apology for how long you all have to wait between updates. I usually start off these projects really strongly with an idea that I think of and go "Oh shit! That'd be a really cool idea for a story!" But then I get three or four chapters in, and realize that I either have no idea how to continue, or that my source of inspiration has gone quiet for some reason.

That's a shitty excuse I know. But regardless, it's all I've got for you guys. I'm sorry. I will continue to update all of my stories as I am able. And to those of you who also read my Bleach story "Rise of the Hollow King" please know that I have heard your words, and Orihime _will_ be making her appearance soon enough.

SOO then! Moving on, I have possibly figured out how I'm going to deal with the Supernovas, and Luffy is now in the thick of it. Next time, things are _REALLY_ going to start changing. Hold onto your seats, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.


	4. Chapter 4

Sengoku the Buddah narrowed his eyes. "He's up to something..."

Monkey D. Garp could only nod, his teeth ground together so tightly in anger that he couldn't bring himself to speak. _That bastard Whitebeard..._ He glared down at the man known as the Strongest Pirate as the legendary pirate spoke with Garp's own Grandson. _Just what the hell is he planning to do with Luffy?_

Porgets D. Ace knelt where he had been chained, his eyes locked on his little brother, who now stood beside the man he called father. The two were clearly talking about something important, as Luffy's full attention was now on Whitebeard. "Luffy... Oyaji..."

* * *

"What'd you just say old man?" Monkey D. Luffy gaped up at the massive man.

"I said I have an idea of how you and I may be able to save Ace." Whitebeard nodded, his full attention on the fascinating young man before him. "It'd be difficult, but I have a feeling that you can pull it off. If you're willing to hear me out."

"Why're you suddenly telling me this?" The boy asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Whitebeard simply chuckled. "Call it a 'thank you' for that info about the Navy's plan to up Ace's execution schedule." He grinned wickedly, "Though given that you're just a little brat, I doubt that you'll be able to pull this off easily."

Luffy's gaze hardened into a fierce glare, "Screw you old man. I'll do whatever it takes to save Ace. Nothing's gonna stop me from doing that!" He then flicked his gaze away from Whitebeard, locking eyes with the other occupant of the ship's deck, "Oye Croc! You're helping me out too right?"

Crocodile's eyes narrowed angrily, "Eh? Since when did I agree to that? I only agreed to help you get here, I don't give a shit about what happens to you now."

"Really? That sucks." Luffy seemed genuinely disappointed somehow.

"Straw Hat..." Whitebeard growled, "You want to hear my idea or not?"

"Oh yeah! You said you had an idea that could save Ace!" Luffy's attention snapped back to the old man.

"I do, but this isn't the place to tell you. Chronos," He suddenly turned his eyes towards the rest of the Moby Dick, apparently speaking to no one in particular. "You think we can get a little time?"

 _Wha-?_ Crocodile had enough time to think before a man appeared before Whitebeard. He wore a blue suit under a long grey overcoat, but was otherwise unremarkable. What was remarkable however, was that the rest of the world seemed to stop as he appeared. _What the hell?!_ Crocodile's eyes darted around. He saw a marine suspended in mid air, a savage look on his face as he held a sword over one of Whitebeard's crew. He saw pirates laying on the air as an explosion from a cannon shot had blasted them off their feet and away. Everywhere he looked, everything was frozen as though he were looking at some kind of 3-D photograph.

"You called Oyaji?" The mysterious man asked.

"Hmm..." Whitebeard rumbled, "You seem less strained than last time. Something happen?"

The man grinned, "You could say that. I'm trying something new to anchor myself in this timeline."

"Can't wait to hear about it." The old man chuckled, "But for now, thanks for hitting the pause."

"Sure thing. Just be aware, that I'll only be able to pause for so long."

Whitebeard nodded, then seemed to notice that Crocodile was still moving. "So you brought in the Croc-brat?"

The man in the blue suit shrugged. "I figured that Straw Hat wouldn't mind the company."

Luffy's eyes were wide as plates as he gazed around him at the frozen landscape. "Wh-...What happened?"

"I did." said the stranger. "I am the Time Man, Chairon Chronos." Crocodile's eyes widened in shock at the identification, "Pleased to meet you in person Monkey D. Luffy."

"Woah!" Luffy's excitement was evident, as his eyes seemed to begin glowing in amazement at the man's powers.

"Oye Straw Hat, we're on a time limit here. You want to learn what I am going to tell you or no?" Whitebeard's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. _Now I see what Ace meant about the brat being a handful._ Luffy began nodding enthusiastically, "Good. Then pay attention. Cause I only have the time and patience to explain this once, and I will only be able to go over the very very basics."

* * *

Time began to move around them once more. Luffy slowly opened his eyes, looking at the world anew, as if the colors were suddenly more vibrant. Crocodile's scowl was replaced by a seemingly unreadable expression.

On the top of the Execution platform, Ace, Garp and Sengoku all instantly felt a chill run up their spines. "Get those damn Pacifista's into position. Now!" Sengoku shouted into a Den-Den Mushi. "Whitebeard's up to something, and he plans to use the rookie pirate Straw Hat Luffy to do it."

Back on the deck of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard's predatory grin only widened. "Observant as ever old friend. But not nearly fast enough." He then looked down at Luffy, "Just like I showed you, together. Ready?"

Luffy nodded, his gaze hardening into a glare aimed at the thousands of marines that stood between him and his brother. Whitebeard also turned his gaze towards the battlefield.

And the world seemed to stop once more. Only this time, Chronos had nothing to do with it. Two individual, extremely powerful pulses exploded out of the two pirates, washing over everything and everyone in Marineford.

Across the Bay, several people on both the marine and pirates sides all suddenly gazed in shock at Straw Hat Luffy, as if suddenly seeing him for the first time. At the same time, hundreds of fighters on both sides began to collapse, their eyes rolled back as the waves hit them.

"Woah, woah! For real?!" Admiral Aokiji blinked in shock, looking as though he had just been shot.

"That boy..." Hawk Eye Mihawk mused quietly as his 'opponent' fell to the ice, knocked out by the power that had just been unleashed.

"Hehehe... Interesting..." chuckled Donquixote Doflamingo, his eyes now locked on the young rookie.

Boa Hancock swooned, her cheeks a vibrant shade of red, "Luffy... you really are the most incredible."

"So the son of the Revolutionary has real fangs as well." Admiral Akainu glared down at Luffy, "He cannot be allowed to survive this."

Ace's eyes felt like they would bulge out of his skull. "So he really did have it as well..."

"Damit Garp! Your damn family is nothing but trouble!" Sengoku was shouting at his old friend.

Garp meanwhile couldn't even hear him, "Luffy... you've really done it this time..."

On the prow of the Moby Dick, Luffy's eyes widened in shock at the devastation that he and Whitebeard had just caused. "Oye... wh-what the hell was that...?"

Whitebeard looked down at him, suppressing a small smile. "Haoshoku no Haki. The Haki of the Conqueror." He moved his gaze back up to the bay, "It's said that only one in a few million people are born with the ability to use it. You were 'Red Hair's 'wager' for the new age, so I figured you'd be able to use it. Glad to know I was right. That being said," He turned his gaze back down to the young man, who was now looking at his own hands in pure amazement. Luffy looked up, meeting Whitebeard's gaze, "It's an extremely dangerous ability to use untrained. I'd recommend you don't just go throwing it around, or you'll end up hurting your weaker friends."

Luffy could only nod, as his gaze fell upon the pirates that had been laid out by their combined Haki attacks.

Crocodile stepped forward, his eyes moving across the bay, surveying the damage that the two beside him had done in a matter of moments. _No wonder he beat me back then..._ He thought, gritting his teeth as the reality set in, _This brat... to think that he really was the same as the likes of Whitebeard..._

Luffy nodded, firming his gaze and jumping off the ship suddenly. "ACE! I'M ON MY WAY NOW!"

"Shit!" Sengoku swore as he grabbed a Den-Den Mushi that connected to a set of loudspeakers, "Don't let him run wild!" He shouted, "That boy must not do any more damage than he just has."

"LUFFY!" Ace suddenly screamed out, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

"RESCUING YOU! WHAT'S IT LOOK LIKE!?" The young captain shouted back as he dodged around several marines, his momentum barely slowing.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!"

"I don't care!" Luffy roared, a heavy club connecting with his head and flipping him around. He responded by landing the flip, and spinning, a heavy kick connecting with the offending marine and sending him flying. "I'm not gonna stop till either you're rescued or I'm dead." He continued running, "Because... YOU'RE MY BROTHER!"

Whitebeard grinned, watching the shock of the boy's revelation cross the ranks of the marines. His grin widened even further when Sengoku announced the young pirate's true heritage. Confusion, shock and eventual horror spread through the Marines like wildfire, but that was soon replaced by the grim determination of men and women who knew that if they didn't stop him here, Monkey D. Luffy would become a much greater threat than he already was.

"Marco." Whitebeard called out to his second in command, drawing the Phoenix's attention. "That kid's got potential, try to keep his stubborn ass alive yeah?"

"Sure thing Oyaji." The blonde man grinned, kicking into the air once more and targeting a group of Marines.

"Gurararara. Now then..." He picked up a Den-Den Mushi once more, "Oye, De-Calvan Brothers, Doma, Bay..." His call was answered by several affirmatives from his various allies fighting outside the bay. "Get ready for some heavy fighting. I've got intel that the Navy has a pretty powerful reserve force that's about to hit you guys with a flanking maneuver."

"They can try it all they like Oyaji." The voice of 'Ice Witch' Whitey Bay sounded over the snail, "We'll break them just like we're breaking the ones that are already here."

"Just don't underestimate them girl." He told her sternly, "I don't want to lose any of my children today."

"Got it." The line went dead as she hung up on her end.

Whitebeard turned back towards the execution platform. _Now then Sengoku..._ He thought with a dry chuckle, _Let's see who's gambit pays off shall we...?_

* * *

Across the short span of ocean that separated Marineford and the Saobody Archepelago, hundreds of news reporters were scrambling to be the first ones to print the dozens of scoops that had already been revealed in the events of the War unfolding on the massive screens in front of them.

Amidst the chaos, a single cloaked figure spoke quietly into a wrist Den-Den Mushi. "That's right Dragon-san. I'm positive that I saw Ivankov-san on the monitors. He's at Marineford... with your son."

"Then he should be in good hands." The voice of the most wanted man in the world emitted from the transceiver. "Keep watching, and report if anything changes."

The cloaked man nodded, "Got it boss." With that, the line went dead and the man looked back up at the monitor. "So that's the boss's kid eh? Seems energetic."

* * *

Chronos watched from the Moby Dick's crows nest, a wide smile on his face. "So that's Monkey D. Luffy... As fascinating as the stories about him claimed..." He turned his gaze towards the outside of the bay, smirking. "And here they come... The pirates won't be able to beat them, even with their warning... But I guess that's why Whitebeard sent word to those brats."

Outside the main bay, the Whitebeard Pirate Alliance, lead by the De-Calvan Brothers, Doma the Bohemian Knight, Ice Witch Whitey Bay, Maelstrom Spider Squard, and several others braced against the incoming line of massive figures that were stomping along the ice that encircled the bay.

"Oye... this ain't funny..." One of the pirates said as the line of figures came close enough to see what they were. "That's 'Tyrant' Bartholomew Kuma! But why are there so damn many of them?"

"Stay calm!" Whitey Bay's voice cut through the air like a knife, "We came here ready to take on the whole navy, this is just another fight!"

Across the gap, a large sumo wrestler wielding a massive double bladed battle axe held up a small Den-Den Mushi, "What the hell uncle?! This wasn't the plan, the Pirates weren't supposed to be ready for us. Someone tipped them off!"

"Can you handle it Sentomaru?" Admiral Kizaru asked, the little snail mimicking his dopey grin, "If not just let me know..."

"No!" Sentomaru snarled. "You have your own damn job and I've got mine! These pirates are mine!" Sweeping his axe forward, he let loose a bellowed command, "Annihilate them!"

There was a brief pause as the Pacifistas registered the order. Then, as one, they each raised a hand aiming towards the pirates, and each fired the powerful beam weapon mounted in the palm.

Time seemed to slow for Whitey Bay. She was at the front of the pirate army, and her years of experience warned her that even her Haki would do little to stop even one of the shots that currently streaked across the ice towards her, nevermind the dozen that followed. Resigning herself to the painful death that rushed towards her, she screwed her eyes closed, waiting for the pain. But it never came.

The detonation of the beam attacks suddenly sounded several dozen meters to her left. Opening her eyes, she unexpectedly found herself and her crew standing near the edge of the ice, and in the spot they had just been, an unfortunate group of Marines felt the full force of the World Government's secret weapons. "What the..."

"My, my..." An unfamiliar voice chuckled, "And here I had been told that the Pirates of the New World were fierce and deadly." Bay turned, laying eyes on the speaker. He was a fairly tall, slim man, wearing a black and yellow hoodie, a pair of blue jeans with odd spot decals along the knees, and a fuzzy white and brown spotted hat over hooded, dangerous eyes. "You must be the 'Ice Witch'," He said with a sadistic grin, "My new friends and I are here to lend you a hand at the request of a certain Emperor."

As he spoke, the air seemed to shimmer with a strange blue hue, and several other figures appeared beside the newcomer seemingly out of nowhere. A man with a heavy fur lined captain's coat and a pair of goggles on his forhead spat in annoyance. "Tch. You sure took your fucking time, Law."

"Oh spare me your griping, Kidd." Another man with long blonde hair and gaunt features said. "You've wanted a chance for payback against these things since Saobody yes? Then here's your chance."

Kidd's grin was utterly depraved, "About fucking time..." Turning to a somewhat portly looking man in a pinstripe suit, he snarled, "Alright Bege, give me my crew back. It's time for us to cut fucking loose!"

Bege sneered at him, but said nothing as a portion of his chest began lowering as if it were a drawbridge. Whitey Bay had to blink in surprise at that point, as there was suddenly a shockingly large number of pirates seemingly appearing from the open chest of the man, as if he himself were a ship.

"LET'S FUCKING GET 'EM BOYS!" Kidd roared as he charged at the head of his crew, all of whom let loose bellowing shouts and screams of bloodthirst and excitement as they rushed towards the Pacifista line. "TIME FOR SOME FUCKING FUN!"

"Such a brutal man..." A man with black and white teeth and long double-jointed elbows chuckled, "But he's got the right idea in this case."

"Indeed." Said a thin man wearing a dark blue leather outfit, "We all suffered at the hands of these things in Saobody, It is time to pay them back in full." With that he began to morph as he lunged forwards, becoming a full blown tyrannosaurus rex within a few strides and unleashing a deafening, shrieking roar as he charged.

Law stepped over to Bay and the other Whitebeard allies, his smile still cold. "Captain Bay, we are here as backup, but you and your allies are still the main firepower in this fight I'm afraid." He gestured back to the battlefield, "Shall we?"

Sentomaru couldn't believe his eyes. The so-called 'Super Rookies' that he and his uncle had almost captured in Saobody the previous week had just appeared out of nowhere and were already throwing the battleground into disarray. "Shit..." He swore violently, directing the Pacifista to target the newcomers. "Need to warn the Fleet Admiral."

"Oh there's no need for that." A sadistic voice chuckled behind him. Sentomaru's eyes widened in shock and he threw himself away as a long katana blade flicked through the air where his eyes had been. Trafalgar Law stood, sword in hand and a cruel smile on his lips, "I believe I have you to thank for the beating we received in Saobody a week ago yes?" He chuckled, leveling his weapon at the young sumo, "Time to return the favor."

* * *

"So they came after all eh?" Whitebeard chuckled as he glanced over his shoulder at the entrance to the bay, "Cheeky brats. At least they don't disappoint."

Crocodile gazed wide eyed at the carnage that the young rookies were causing in the marine battle lines, "You planned this old man?"

"Planned is a bit of a strong word. I just knew that Sengoku had some kind of reserve force coming to flank me, and may have hinted that those brats could earn some brownei points by coming to help instead of just watching."

The former Shichibukai was silent for several long moments. Finally he let out a long sigh, "I really never will be able to beat you will I...?"

Whitebeard turned to look at him, a look of consideration crossing his face. Crocodile looked... tired, for some reason, as if he had just traveled for a thousand miles in an instant. "Make you a deal brat," He said with a smirk, causing the Sand-man's head to jerk up, "We survive this, and you help me get my son out of here," He made a jerking nod towards the execution platform, "And I'll give you another chance to kill me. Just like you had all those years ago."

For the briefest moment, Crocodile's eyes glimmered like the young ambitious man he had been so long ago. Then he chuckled, reaching into his jacket and producing a fresh cigar, "You really are a manipulative old bastard, you know that?" Lighting the cigar, he took a long inhaled breath, and rose to his feet. "Fine, I'll save the little shit's ass. But you will keep your word afterwards, or I'll kill him myself."

Crocodile vanished in a swirl of golden sand, leaving Whitebeard alone on the deck of the Moby Dick once again. "That little scamp's gotten mighty full of himself these days..." He chuckled, "Oh well... time to see if we can do anything about that stupid wall of theirs..."

* * *

 **So, the other day I received a reminder in the form of a review for this fic that it's been almost a full _year_ since I last updated. Yikes! Time sure flies when you have a full time job and work odd hours of the nights. Anyways, I booted up my computer, blew the dust off of Second Chance, and discovered that chapter 4 was already almost finished. Thus, here we are today, with yet another unbelievably random update from the Karasu.**

 **I'm sorry guys. You all deserve better than me, you deserve better _from_ me. Regardless, here is Chapter 4. And yes, in answer to all of your various questions, I _do_ intend to continue updating. I _do_ have ideas in the works for Second Chance, Hollow King, Twist in the Cycle, and possibly even Black Steel. They just take forever for me to put to word, and in the meantime I keep getting great ideas to start new Fanfics (like this really great idea that I had the other day for a Persona fanfic...) And god dammit there I go again, focus Karasu, focus.**

 **Anyways. Here you all go, and more will (eventually) follow.**

 **Special thanks to reviewer "SeventhAssassin" You are the one who got me to write again even if only this little bit. It's not much, but it is a start.**


	5. Chapter 5

Sentomaru swore violently as the long blade of his enemy's katana glanced off his ax-head causing a shower of sparks. "Damn pirate scum!" He snarled, "Hold still!" He swung his axe around in a powerful smashing strike, but once again, the sadistic grin of his opponent widened as he vanished, to be replaced by a very unfortunate marine, who's look of shock and confusion morphed into one of pain and terror as the large weapon smashed into him.

"By all means," Trafalgar Law chuckled lightly, his katana resting across his shoulder as he watched the latest marine in what was now a fairly large number that he had used as patsies to take Sentomaru's attacks for him, "Just keep flailing around like that. You're doing a better job of thinning your own ranks than I ever could."

Sentomaru felt his teeth grind together as he glanced at the battlefield. The marine's battlelines had been thrown into complete disarray by the unexpected arrival of the so-called 'Super-rookies', to the point of near collapse. The only thing that seemed to be keeping the marines from breaking and fleeing entirely was the Pacifista battalion, which was managing to hold strong against the ferocity of Eusatss 'Captain' Kidd and his crew along with the heavy hitters of the Whitebeard pirate alliance.

"Dammit," The sumo swore, pulling out his den-den mushi, "We can't afford to break here. Uncle! I hate to say it, but I'm going to need help."

The snail's face morphed into a dopey grin as the man on the other line answered, "Ok then Sentomaru. Tell your men to brace themselves." With that, the line went dead. However, before Sentomaru could wonder what his uncle had meant, what looked to be a second sun flickered to life in the skies above Marineford.

"Shit." He turned towards the marines scattered around him, " _INCOMING_!"

Law looked up, his eyes widening, "KIDD! We've got company!" As he shouted, Law extended his hands, forcing his Room as wide as he could.

Eustass Kidd had just enough time to look up towards the bright light before it smashed it's way down onto the ice with the force of a meteor. The explosion tore into the ranks of pirates, and several unfortunate Marines who hadn't been fast enough, hurtling dust, smoke and ice into the air, choking off the visibility in the area. "My, my..." Admiral Kizaru's voice sounded through the smoke as he stepped over the dead body of a pirate, "This is certainly a fine mess. You rookies should have stayed out of this war." Even through the smoke, the shine of the Light-man's body began to emanate brightly. "You may have survived long enough to make it into the new world."

Law breathed heavily, gasping for breath as he felt his Room fade around him, he had managed to save many pirates, but he could barely stay standing from the strain the heavy use of his power had brought on. "Eustass-ya..." He panted, causing the foul mouthed man to glance his way, "I won't be able to do that sort of thing again... We may not be able to beat an Admiral, but the Whitebeard alliance can, if you keep the rest of the Marines off of them and let them focus."

"Tch." Kidd felt his usual hatred for Law rise back to the surface. "How many fucking times Trafalgar?" He spat, turning back to survey the Navy forces through the clearing smoke, "How many times do I need to tell you not to give me orders before you fucking get it?" He glanced towards Whitey Bay, who stood among several of her crew and allies, still looking a little confused by how Law had managed to move them, "Oye, old fucks." That got their attention, drawing more than a few glares, "You heard the little pasty shit right? Kizaru's yours, we'll handle the rest."

It looked as though several of the older pirates were about to start arguing the point, however Bay put her hand up, a look of grim determination on her face. "We won't be able to fully stop him, so you're going to need to work quick rookie."

Kidd let out a snarled reply, but he was interrupted as Bege stepped between the two, smirking, "We'll do what we can miss Bay, but we expect you and yours to carry your own weight as well." With that, he jerked his head in the direction of the Pasifistas, "Those things are still our real problem, Kidd. None of my guns seem to do more than slow them down."

Kidd let his glare fall on the government weapons. "I think I may be able to do something. But their hides are thick enough to interrupt my power. Think you can burn some of them off?"

"Are you kiddies done planning your play date?" Kizaru's mocking voice suddenly echoed out, "Because I'm getting bored." The telltale glimmer of the Admiral preparing to attack pierced through the smoke.

"Here we go..." Maelstrom Spider Squard grunted, readying his blade and reinforcing it with Haki. The rest of the pirates readied their weapons as well. A moment later, Squard shouted, "NOW!"

The pirates scattered, all rushing forward, just as Kizaru let loose a laser blast at the location where the majority of them had been. He then formed a blade of light, bringing it down to knock a pirate aside just as the first of them closed the distance.

The Supernovas meanwhile closed the distance with the Pasifistas and the rest of the Navy. "Bege," Kidd said as he moved, "If you can get rid of some of the skin of those big guys, I can probably use my powers properly."

"On it." The mafioso said, canon ports already opening across his chest. "Apoo, back me up!"

"Oh yeah baby!" Scratchman Apoo laughed maniacally as his body began taking on various musical instruments forms, "Let's rock!"

Further back, Trafalgar Law moved slowly, still catching his breath. _Good to see everyone so eager..._ He thought, _But we're in serious trouble if we can't nullify Kizaru. Think Law... Think!_

* * *

On the prow of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard glanced over his shoulder, following the glowing ball of death that was Kizaru moving to attack his rear line forces. "Shit..." He turned back towards the execution platform, mind racing. _Need to deal with that little bastard quickly if I want my allies to escape from this alive._ "Hmm... Oye, Chronos, I have a question."

"What's up Oyaji?" The Time-man spoke from directly behind him, hiding in Whitebeard's shadow so that the rest of the world remained unaware of him for a while longer.

"If you were to do that little 'freeze time' trick of yours, while letting me keep moving, how long would I have?"

"Hmm..." Chronos tapped his chin in thought, numbers swiftly flashing through his mind as he calculated, "Maybe about five or six minutes at a time?" He said after a moment, "Keeping you in between seconds like that is pretty taxing on me, but I'm getting stronger. My idea seems to have worked, so I don't think I'm going anywhere for a while."

"Excellent." Whitebeard felt his mouth curl up in a vicious grin. "Then first, we need to take out that Wall that the Navy has set up under the ice." He turned his head to the edge of the bay, "You ready for this?"

"Absolutely."

* * *

Fleet Admiral Sengoku blinked, rubbing at his eyes beneath his glasses. Were his eyes playing tricks on him or had Whitebeard just vanished for a moment? The pirate captain stood on the deck of the Moby Dick, chuckling about something, but Sengoku could have sworn that for just a moment, perhaps just a second, if even, Whitebeard had just simply vanished.

"Did you see that Garp?"

The Legendary Marine nodded, his face a grimacing mask. "Yeah... What the hell was that?"

* * *

Back on the deck of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard felt his smirk grow wider as he noticed the two watching him, "Oye Marco!" He called out.

"Yeah Pops?" Marco landed beside his father, blue flames rippling around them both. "I was just about to go and back up Bay and the others."

"I've got something more important for you to handle."

Marco felt his eyebrow raise questioningly, "Oh?"

"Yeah. In a few seconds, I'm going to pull a little trick that's gonna give ol'Sengoku a heart attack." Whitebeard chuckled, "Gurararara... Unfortunately it'll probably do the same to my children. So I'm going to need you to take command for a bit until I get back."

Marco blinked in confusion, "Wait... 'Back'?"

* * *

Up on the Execution platform, Sengoku's personal Den-Den Mushi rang. "Fleet Admiral! We have a serious problem!" The panicked voice came over the speaker.

"What's the matter?" Sengoku felt a chill run up his spine.

"The control room and mechanisms for the encirclement wall has been completely destroyed!"

Sengoku's face drained of color, his eyes locking onto Whitebeard. "How..." He managed to whisper, "How did you find out...?" He knew that Whitebeard couldn't possibly have heard him, but the man suddenly gave him the widest, most predatory grin that the Fleet Admiral had seen in decades.

And then, he simply disapeared.

With no further preamble, the Strongest man in the world seemed to simply cease to exist. _Wha?!_ "WHERE IS HE!?" Sengoku could feel his heart skipping beats as his gaze darted around the battlefield, trying to spot the massive man. "WHERE DID WHITEBEARD GO?"

"What the hell...?" A stunned looking Garp asked quietly, his gaze locked on where the pirate had been until moments ago. "How the hell did he just pull that...?

Ace felt like his own heart had stopped. The only thing that kept him anchored in reality was the grin that Pops had worn just before he vanished. _He planned this somehow!_ He realized, marveling silently, _All these years, and he can still pull new surprises out of nowhere!_

Suddenly, the world shook violently. Garp, Sengoku and Ace all looked up, trying to locate the source of the quake. Then, the roar of hundreds of voices rose up from the outskirts of the bay where Whitebeard's allies were fighting.

"He couldn't have..." Quietly, Sengoku tried to understand what was happening, "How in the hell could he have done this?

* * *

"Look out!" 'Ice Witch' Whitey Bay shouted, forcing one of her men out of the way and raising her sword to block the heavy strike that would have killed the man otherwise. "Dammit!" She swore as Kizaru's blade of light struck with enough force to drop her to a knee.

She had known that the Admirals of the Navy were powerful, they had to be to have been able to effectively counter the might of the Yonko. But nothing could have prepared her for how overwhelming that strength actually was. In under three minutes of pitched combat with Kizaru, most of the Whitebeard alliance forces who had tried to kill him had either been killed themselves, or had been otherwise put out of the fight with an ease that defied most conventional logic.

On the other side of Kizaru, 'Thunder Lord' McGuy tried to get in a clean strike against the admiral, while Kizaru countered with a blast of light which forced the pirate captain back. "We can't hold for much longer Ice Witch!" He said with a hint of desperation.

"We... have... to!" Bay replied as she struggled against the weight of Kizaru's blow.

"Y'know..." Kizaru said with a little chuckle, "It would be easier on all of us if you'd just be good and died here." As he spoke, he extended his index finger from where it gripped the blade of light, and the telltale shine of a laser charging greeted Bay, aimed right between her eyes. "So be a good little pirate, and disappear."

 _Shit!_ Bay thought as she realized that she wouldn't be able to dodge in time. Time seemed to slow down for the Ice Witch, she saw the shine of Kizaru's attack preparing to end her life, she saw McGuy shouting as he tried to do something to avert her impending death, and then quite suddenly, she saw a shadow fall across the admiral.

As time returned to its normal speed, a fist collided with Kizaru's head, and the world seemed to rupture. The admiral flew away, the force of the blow spinning him as he skipped across the ice like a stone. After several meters, he came to a skidding stop, trying to push himself back to his feet. However it almost seemed as if his center of balance had been thrown off by the blow, so he found himself stumbling, blood dripping from his nose and mouth.

"Gurararara..." A rumbling laugh echoed across the suddenly dead quiet of the battlefield. "You've got some real nerve little monkey. Thinking you can just hurt my children like that."

Bay felt her eyes widen as she looked up at Whitebeard. She couldn't understand how he was suddenly here, he shouldn't be here, and yet he was. And no one had sensed him with Haki, or seen him until he had been right on top of Kizaru. Even the Light-man hadn't seemed to notice him, and she had seen the admiral react to attacks with literal inches to spare.

"Whitebeard..." Kizaru's usual lackadaisical demeanor was gone, replaced by a nervous tension. "That's a hell of a trick you just pulled." He had finally managed to push himself to his feet as he spoke, but his stance was clearly unsteady. "How'd you managed to slip past my Observation?"

"That's really your question?" Whitebeard chuckled. "You'd better get ready little brat. Because I came all the way out here for a reason." He then raised his bisento, readying himself to strike.

Trafalgar Law could feel his heartbeat thudding through him. The entire battlefield had all frozen in shock at Whitebeard's sudden appearance, even the Pasifistas had seemed unable to comprehend the man's sudden arival. However, as his brain began to function again, Law felt himself grin wickedly.

 _I've recovered enough strength for this..._ He thought, _If Whitebeard is here, then the main battlefront is being led by his Commanders, but with how abruptly he showed up here, I don't think that they know where he is either. Which means that we need to end Kizaru **now**. _ Looking around, he saw that the Pasifistas that Kidd and the others hadn't been able to disable were beginning to target Whitebeard with their weapon systems. _Perfect._ He grinned.

Whitebeard was readying himself to strike, while Kizaru stood, readying himself for whatever the Pirate captain would throw at him. He felt the Pasifistas weaponry charging with his Observation, and felt himself smile coldly, even Whitebeard would be slowed down if he took those blasts, he would be vulnerable.

Deciding to take the initiative, Kizaru leapt into the air, thrusting his hands out and unleashing several blasts aiming to cage Whitebeard in place. He was pleased to see that Whitebeard either didn't realize his plan, or was arrogant enough to not care about the Pasifistas as they unleashed their blasts as well.

As the lasers closed in with Whitebeard, Kizaru felt his smile widen, "So long Whitebeard!" He chuckled to himself, right before he found himself standing on the ground, looking up at a seemingly flying Whitebeard. "Wha...?" His eyes widened as he realized what had happened, an instant before the Pasifista blasts struck him full in the chest. Unprepared as he was, he was unable to fully activate his Logia body. Three of the blasts punctured his body before he was able to engage his defenses. He saw his vision go red as he fell to his knees.

Whitebeard landed heavily, his eyes wide with surprise, but he moved on instinct, turning and releasing a powerful quake blast towards the Pasifistas before they could attack again. The war machines shattered as if they were made of glass under the force of the attack. He then turned back to Kizaru, the man had three holes almost the width of a finger through his chest, and blood dripped from them despite the immense heat of the lasers having cauterized the wounds.

"Not exactly how I planned to do this." He sighed, stepping forward and raising a fist, "But it seems that this is your loss, Kizaru." The admiral managed to raise his eyes to lock with Whitebeard, the glassy pain filled expression lifting as he returned to full consciousness just in time to realize what was about to happen. Whitebeard formed a quake around his fist and brought it smashing down onto Kizaru.

The blow rocked the entirety of Marineford as Kizaru's body crumpled under the force of it. As the world began to steady once more, Whitebeard turned to his allies, all of whom stared slack-jawed at him. All of them, he noted, except for one tired looking young man in a spotted hat who wore a very self satisfied look. _Interesting..._ He thought, "You all look like you've seen a ghost." He chuckled, "Now wipe those silly looks off, and those of you who can still fight, FOLLOW ME!"

A roaring cheer erupted from the throats of every pirate who could stand, as every single one of them pushed themselves up, grabbed their weapons, and fell into step as Whitebeard began charging back towards the bay and the main battle.

* * *

 **And another successful chapter! Here's where things start changing. Big time.**

 **Kizaru is down and out for the count, and Whitebeard's allies are at an all time high moral as their Pops is leading the charge himself, meanwhile, Sengoku is having an** **aneurysm trying to figure out how Whitebeard can apparently now teleport. Meanwhile, Law is being Law, and while he's nowhere near as strong as he is in Dresrossa, (two years is a long time to get stronger,) He's still a very clever and devious man, so him coming up with the idea to swap Kizaru and WB at the last second is totally something he would pull.**

 **These chapters never seem to be long enough for my tastes, but I can never seem to properly pad out the chapters for more length without feeling like I'm just wasting everyone's time. It's weird. Anyways, that's all from me for now, as always, please, read, enjoy, leave a review if you please. And have a great sunny summer day.**


End file.
